The Long Dark Prepper Caches: Locations, the Trader Caches and Down Below
On this page
Short answer: The Long Dark’s best-hidden caches are its Prepper Caches: underground bunkers, usually marked with fallout shelter signs. There are 9 Prepper Cache locations, and entering all 9 in one game earns the Down Below achievement. The one fixed cache is the Prepper’s Abandoned Cache in north-east Pleasant Valley, behind an outhouse on the way to Timberwolf Mountain.
The Prepper’s Abandoned Cache (Pleasant Valley)
Head to north-east Pleasant Valley, toward Timberwolf Mountain. Near a ruined building is an outhouse; the hatch is behind a fallen tree just behind it. Inside are a bed, a workbench and supplies on shelves and in lockers. In Survival mode its contents are always the same, and a revolver can spawn behind the crates by the ladder.
This bunker is tied to Sutherland’s Tale: a hidden room with a skeleton and a note opens as the tale progresses, and the cache becomes permanently inaccessible once the tale has you seal it.
Caches for the Trader quest
Three of the random caches matter for the Trader quest and do not show the usual “Prepper’s Abandoned Cache” label. Tell them apart by their contents, and check for loose bricks in each:
| Cache type | How to recognise it |
|---|---|
| Storehouse | Has a sink |
| Hunter | Trophies on the walls |
| Conspiracy | Walls covered in papers |
Talk to Sutherland (the Trader) before visiting them, and hand each one in on the Coastal Highway before going to the next.
Down Below
To get the achievement, enter all 9 Prepper Cache locations in a single save. Vent grates inside bunkers can be opened and sometimes hide extra loot, so check them on the way.
More guides: all The Long Dark guides.
Sources
- The Long Dark Wiki (Fandom): Prepper’s Abandoned Cache
- TrueAchievements: Down Below achievement
Last checked against sources: 10 November 2026.
